NKAMBA-VAN WYK HAS A LASTING LEGACY
Her projects helped empower 6 000 women
AFRICAN arts and crafts creation, marketing and promotion crusader Tembeka Nkamba-Van Wyk was hailed at a memorial service in Pretoria this week as a champion of poverty alleviation and self-reliance.
Nkamba-Van Wyk, 61, who died earlier this month, was the national chief director for communications in the Presidency between 1995-1997. She started the Talking Beads Academy soon thereafter and did not look back.
This was soon followed by her pride and joy, the Ngezandla Zethu cooperative, training African youths and women in beadmaking.
Both Ngezandla Zethu and Talking Beads have so far transformed the lives of 6 000 women, whose handicraft has been shown and sold globally.
Mthatha-born Nkamba-van Wyk, was married to Sirk Bernardus van Wyk. He died in 2007.
Sam Jiri, who heads the Tshwane Arts, Crafts and Design Hub, said Nkamba-Van Wyk had been more than a mother to members of Ngezandla Zethu and Talking Beads as she had affirmed, empowered youths and women, especially rural women, from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“To her, we were all made in the image of God, no matter where we came from, and she united all of us,” Jiri said.
Ngezandla Zethu chairman David Christer said Nkamba-Van Wyk sought to make a real difference in other people ’ s lives.
The other speakers were youth- ful musician and music teacher Colin Nhlapo, former national communications service head Sol Kotane, actor and producer Jerry Tsie, singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka and former Independent Electoral Commission head Brigalia Bam.
They all lauded Nkamba-Van Wyk for championing the cause of rural folk, uniting artists and other cultural activists, and having been an illustrious ambassador of South Africa ’ s rich cultural heritage.
Christer said NkambaVan Wyk ’ s father, who was a Methodist minister, and her mother, who was a teacher, “instilled in her the ethos of ubuntu and the importance of contributing to the common good ”.
Nkamba-Van Wyk obtained her BA degree in English and Xhosa and an honours degree in Xhosa Literature at Fort Hare University, and obtained a master ’ s degree in Xhosa poetry at the same university.
In Johannesburg, in 1978, she worked at the Chamber of Mines as a researcher and translated and interpreted Xhosa poetry and protest songs sung by the miners. After three months, she was fired as the managers thought she put too much depth in the interpretation.
In 1979, she worked as a volunteer in rural villages, teaching women to read and write. She was spotted by department of education employees in Mthatha who sent her on a literacy teacher training course.
In 1981, she enrolled for a master ’ s degree in English literature and later an MA in Film & Video at UCLA in Los Angeles, graduating with a dual degree in 1984.
Returning home, she joined the education department in Mthatha as a planner for cultural affairs, organising traditional music competitions and encouraging artists to produce beadwork and grass work products for the major centres.
In 1995, she was appointed national chief director for communications for the new democratic government but left this position in 1997 to start the Talking Beads Academy, focusing on job creation and the promotion and preservation of arts and cultural heritage.
In 2000, she started Blue Sky Investments – the social upliftment arm of Talking Beads.
When there were xenophobic attacks in 2008, she used her premises as a refugee centre which was later converted into the Ngezandla Zethu Earth Centre.
This is a craft centre utilising recycled waste materials to manufacture saleable craft items, addressing her desire to be more environmentally responsible.
Ngezandla Zethu was appointed by the national department of arts and culture to conduct community conversations on social cohesion in all nine provinces.
Nkamba-van Wyk will be buried in Pretoria tomorrow.